The “How?”s of the HCG Diet

Posted on: April 5, 2009 by Dr. Robert True

How Does HCG cause the weight loss?

The HCG diet is based on utilizing the amazing fat mobilizing properties of HCG. HCG is an abbreviation for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. This is a hormone naturally produced in a woman's body when she is pregnant. It has many functions and is used medically to treat a variety of conditions.

HCG is the pregnancy hormone that almost completely controls metabolic functions. This hormone allows the body to mobilize fat and use it as energy for both mother and fetus. This action is especially important during times of starvation or very low calorie diets. It serves as a "fail-safe" mechanism when energy is needed immediately. During pregnancy, this function is utilized by the woman’s body to preserve the pregnancy. For weight loss, we use only minute amounts of HCG to capitalize on this same mechanism. Using HCG in this way does NOT “mimic” pregnancy. However, it “tricks” your mind into changing its metabolism which helps burn the fat. It can be safely used by both adult men and women.

HCG plus the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCDiet) works in 3 distinct ways:

A. HCG causes your hypothalamus to mobilize the fat out of the abnormal fat storage locations so that it’s available for use. The very low calorie diet of 500 calories a day triggers your hypothalamus to change your body’s metabolism so it continually releases the stored nutrients in the abnormal fat stored in your body. Because of this, your body is actually operating on thousands of calories a day, but most of these come from the stored fat. The result is your body uses these thousands of calories of fat from your abnormal fat stores and you lose weight. This is the reason why HCG users lose 1 to 2 lbs of fat or more, per day.

B. Maintains a normal basal metabolic rate. This is your resting energy needs. If one does not maintain intake of calories to equal your BMR, your body goes into conservation mode; it wants to conserve the calories stored in your body because it does not know when you’re going to feed it. HCG makes sure you don’t go into this slower metabolism mode so you continue to feel good while on the program.

C. Resets the hypothalamus to prevent future regain. After you have been on the diet for the 40 days, your body will continue to want to stay on it even after you stop using the HCG. This resetting of your hypothalamic metabolism continues for a few days to a few weeks after stopping the HCG so you can continue to lose even more weight.

Will my metabolism slow down if I’m on a very low calorie diet?

Normally when we cut back our calories and eat a very low calorie diet, our bodies tend to preserve fat and nutrient stores. Our hypothalamus sees that there are not many calories in our blood so it makes our metabolism slow down. Our body wants to conserve the fat because fat is really a life-saving source of stored energy.

When HCG is utilized with a very low calorie diet, however, the hormone causes the hypothalamus to signal to the body to mobilize the calories out of the abnormal fat storage locations and use these stored calories for energy burning to fuel our daily actions. The excess or abnormal fat reserves are reduced and you lose weight. In fact, your body is actually operating on thousands of calories a day which enables you to lose 1 or 2 pounds of fat per day.

Can I change the diet as long as I stick to 500 calories?

NO, you must stick with the protocol. This protocol has been shown to be successful only as directed. The unique combination of the HCG plus a very strict 500 calorie specific food consumption plan has been shown to work while other regimens have not. The exact foods used cause specific chemical reactions in the body and with the HCG activate the hypothalamus into mobilizing the secure abnormal fat reserves causing dramatic weight loss without the loss of muscle or structural fat. It is of the utmost importance for this to work you must strictly follow it to the letter, but you will get results.

Dr. Simeon of Rome, Italy, who created the diet, found that any variance away from these guidelines resulted in less success at losing weight. Thus, we only recommend strict adherence to the guidelines of the diet.

Will HCG work without a diet?

Although there is no dramatic weight loss without the accompanying diet, HCG can cause a reduction in inches rather than pounds. However, this is not recommended due to the time constraints of using the HCG.

Can I maintain the diet even if I engage in daily hard physical labor?

Yes, you may continue to do your normal activities. HCG allows you to maintain this diet even during hard work or vigorous exercise. However, you may get tired quicker so be aware of this. The good thing is that the HCG mobilizes and uses abnormal fat stores for calories and energy instead of stripping the muscle of protein for energy. It thus prevents the breakdown of lean muscle.

Does the diet require a lot of work in planning and preparation?

Because the diet is very simple, it actually is very simple to comply and is one of the easiest diets to do. You need a food scale to measure the 3.5 oz (100 gm) of meat, white fish, chicken or shrimp. Whitefish fillets and precooked frozen shrimp placed directly on the grill makes a freshly prepared tasty meal in just minutes. Place on organic greens from the bags with fresh lemon and you are eating a quick, fulfilling meal. The same is easily done with frozen boneless chicken or lean steak as well.

If you don’t have a stove, purchase a Forman grill at your neighborhood department store or a GT Xpress 101 indoor electric cooker at www.GTXpress.com. Most upscale grocery stores have organic meats and produce that are very reasonable. If you like to cook, there are many cookbooks available on the web and at book stores that give you recipes for the HCG diet. You may want to purchase some of these to give your diet variety and spice.

How much weight can I expect to lose on the program?

Much of it depends on your starting point. The more weight to lose the more weight is lost. On average, our patients lose around 15-40 lbs. per month. It is not unusual for some people to lose 10 to 12 lbs in the first week.

Does the weight loss slow down after the first month?

Many times what we see is a large amount of weight loss in the first month, then a plateau or leveling off. This does not mean that your weight loss has stopped. Typically, inches are being lost continuously while on the program, and after a period of time, patients will experience another large drop on the scale. Weight loss is thus achieved in this stair-step fashion.

How long can I continue the medication?

After 42 doses, the effectiveness diminishes due to the body’s ability to develop temporary immunity to the HCG. However, if necessary, subsequent courses of Phase 1 can be resumed after a 3-week stabilizing period. In some instances, 4 or more courses have been given with continued effectiveness if a 3-week interval has been allowed between them.

When can I start taking HCG again?

It takes around six weeks for the HCG immunity to go away. After that time, you can start another 40 days of HCG if you have not reached your weight loss goals. This leap frog schedule can be continued until you have lost the weight you desire.

Do I have to exercise?

It is recommended that you maintain good physical activity through the diet program. You don’t have to overdo it or exercise for long hours of time to lose the weight. Physical activity is essential in maintaining total health for the body. A physically fit and healthy body is the result of exercise and good nutrition. A few additional benefits of exercise are; improved sleep, healthier body composition, prevention of disease and chronic illnesses, and increased energy.

Does this mean I have to go the gym everyday for 1 or more hours?

No, in terms of resetting your body weight set point, walking at any pace one hour a day is the very effective and most everyone can do it! We suggest developing an exercise routine that fits into your daily routine. If you do not already exercise, start off slow and increase at your own pace. For a fun way to exercise, get the new “Wii Fit” computer game. There are also many exercise DVDs available and you can pick the ones you like to make your exercise sessions enjoyable. All these are ideas to help make exercising fun and motivating that you can do in your own home and enjoy it!

Will I still lose weight if I don’t exercise?

Yes, but light to moderate exercise is important in lowering stress, clearing the brain, improving strength & flexibility, controlling insulin utilization, managing weight, burning more calories, and increasing lean muscle mass. Not to mention the reshaping and recon touring it can contribute. Exercise is encouraged for those reasons but is not necessary.